Scribbles

A literary magazine compiled by and for  the students of Stratford Academy 2021-2022  

As children, They were taught to color in the lines, And they learned that if somehow the crayon slipped And strayed from the boundaries of that black line, The picture became worthless. They regarded their teachers as authorities on such matters And listened as they fed them lies about art and its value. And as the children grew, They carried false notions with them And s...

When you take your first full breath, It’s sweet like the first rays of sun at dawn Then you breathe your last in death Just one more second, and then you’re gone   It ignites the first flame of the dry season  Purifying this earth with divine violence We cleanse in fire for a reason  It leaves everything in barren silence                     ...

The clock in your Chrysler Imperial strikes 3 a.m.  Far along the dark road you spot a diner Its flickering lights could be spotted from the Hoover Dam A diner illuminated by a gas no diviner   As you pull into the diner lot  You spot an old man popping pills What a wonder medicines are for this lot  Crafted by our special gas to cure the ill   3D printing and...

I climbed the steps and there He stood He softly met my eyes I wished for kindness in return  Yet still the Spirit flies   Perhaps one day it will be there  I feel the Time slip by My knees will always kneel for You—  Forever I will try   Some Tears will fall but I can’t find—  He loves me they all say I face the window and the Sun—  My ...

Such a rare, fine specimen of metal Similar in rarity to silver, your cousin  Trapped in your damp, soil dungeon A lustrous sheen of white and silver so gentle  The contributions you make are only helpful  You dream of becoming a fixture in the garden  Or used to power the man-made sun Add fire for a blue-violet glow, even if fatal Despite everything, the beauty you create  The genius of y...

When we walked down on Halloween  Our eyes beheld a sight— Of figures dancing ‘round a fire  One great big Ball of light   When the shadows began to part  Oh how the moment froze! The light fell through their Bodies thin—  Illuminating Bones   Because we had to hurry quick  The road began to fly The smoky Wind pushed back our hair  Until we h...

Don’t look at me, I’m just a fake  A diamond imposter, a conman I know I try the best I can But the way they all neglect me makes me ache   I don’t have the luster that diamond has to offer  Even my most pristine form cannot compare  When I’m cut up into cubes I’m as bright as a flare  But my diamond counterpart is still even glossier   I wish I weren't a cheap alte...

Their candy wrappers line the Street Kids dressed in costumes bright  They run and holler— Trick or Treat  I see their Faces light   They throw their Chocolates in their bags And tread back— through the Grass And roar and squeal in sheer delight  The Air fills with their laughs—   A gust of wind turns Faces red  The sky— now turns to black Th...

The empty Slate we know and love Is just a needless Lie— The Things that make us who we are  Will stay until we die   They come and open many Doors— Left only for the fair The rest become a living Clone  The ones who don’t are rare   The odd who try to change their Fates  Are met with loud Dissent— Their Money and their Time are lost  To waste o...

First introduced by a flying asteroid, Iridium’s entities were dispersed into the Earth Its characteristics have been mastered Each having immense worth   But why has Iridium become lost in science? Its vital purpose not known by many  Because its density is far from empty Iridium’s uses are aplenty   Its components used to harden One of the most important elements of all ...

I have always enjoyed the night— When Nature sleeps— so still—  When only sounds of Crickets and  Knocks– on the Window Sill—   The Creature rests up on a Throne— Eyes fluttering awake— Its Hair now as straight as needles— It is my time to prey   The Creature sits up-– now alert—  Its pink Cloak glows ablaze I feel my fear behind th...

Love is a poison,  A toxic wasteland.  It kills the noise and It is certainly nothing grand.    It drags you under Like a riptide, Slowly drowning you. Only a few survive.    The few who survive Are tattered and broken, Aching, their hearts broken For the great machine.    Some judge by age, Others by weight. I tried to mend my broken heart with ...

You take the white bus today. Traffic is usually bad this time of day, so you would rather play it safe and guarantee that you get to work on time. Unfortunately for you, you live in Obezag, a dictatorship that you wish you could escape from. The trashed streets and extremely impoverished residents are reflective of the corrupt, selfish government that rules over you. You work at the ONOC, the Obez...

Black bus it is. Maybe the traffic won’t be too bad today. Hopefully, you’ll make it to work by seven. Unfortunately for you, you live in Obezag, a dictatorship that you wish you could escape from. The trashed streets and extremely impoverished residents are reflective of the corrupt, selfish government that rules over you. You work at the ONOC, the Obezag National Office of Censorship. Your j...

Directions: Although this is a short story, it is also a game. To play the game, you will have to make choices, some trivial and some life-changing. Your first choice, choosing the white bus or the black bus, will dictate which path your life follows for the rest of the story. Within the white path and black path, you will make choices to determine your own survival. I am the writer of this story, ...

The surface so far, I wonder how long it’ll take to fall. I look over, a sickening sensation, vertigo. Onlookers shouldn’t care, yet they are drawn to my downfall. The board wobbles as I step to the front, a spitball For rethinking the choice, warning me of the deep indigo.  The surface so far, I wonder how long it’ll take to fall.   My final leap, my swan song for all. Keep ...

 A bowl of flour and two large eggs  And butter— that we melt My apron— covers both my legs  Throw in a pinch of salt   The Oven beeps once it preheats  We whisk the Batter— quick We spray with oil the baking sheet  And dump the batter in—   We shut the oven door and wait  A Sweetness fills the air My mouth it waters for a Taste  And through the...

Hoist your flaws, your fears, your shame. Bring your pieces to me. I’ll put you back together again.  Dry your tears, relight your flame.   I’ll hold your worries on my shoulders, even if it makes me lame, Atlas himself I’ll maintain. Hoist your flaws, your fears, your shame. Do you remember how we danced, not for fame,  But to celebrate living, jumping in the rain? Dry...

Strong and important, essential to all life  Number 11 on the table, silvery white Seven  electrons  for  you  and  one  for  me,  your  wife I have quite the passion as in water I ignite   My  dear  chlorine,  number  17,  I’m  afraid  our  spark  has  died Set  me  on  fire,  you  do  not,  but  smell,  your  gas  does  a  lot   You a...

She scrubbed and scrubbed every last thread In her hand, an old rag and some spray The stain on the carpet stayed bright and red   She decided to use a different rag instead Her hand cramped as she cleaned away She scrubbed and scrubbed every last thread   “I can’t believe I spilled it,” she said And in a vain attempt, she spritzed more spray  The stai...

 I realized I wasn’t the only one in my big-girl booster seat on a random day.  As the setting sun was almost done,   I saw a family of five all crunched in a small,silver vehicle moving the same way.  I realized I wasn’t the only one.   There was smiling, laughing, and lots of fun  between three little kids in the middle of play.  As the setting sun was...

Red, yellow, blue, or green, The children will see you soon! Let the string go, goodbye balloon!  All up above they are seen The trees they are wedged between Helium lets the balloon to sail to the moon  It is let go at just about noon Balloons seem never to be lean   Even through the skies, skipping along the clouds Helium lifts rockets into space Zooming past the ...

People swim in dark water,  The sun bears down high overhead, melting the beachgoers’ poised complexions.  There they go, the vacationers, the residents, and the birds, all wanting to enjoy the crisp air, smelling of salt.  A woman holds a wine glass. She takes sips on her apartment balcony.  A cat meows from above, looking down from the upper balcony.  The woman sighs an...

There was nothing special about the dog His fur was a pale yellow, mangy and dirty He wasn’t a puppy, ready to take on the world And his ill manners couldn't be attributed to young age  But instead a poor upbringing and traumatic past That sometimes made him act like a savage    The man spent time abroad, fighting like a savage  He saw himself in the old, beaten d...

There was a knock at the door, I opened it, and it was you We watched your favorite movie after you handed me a bouquet of flowers  I couldn’t see your smile, but I could still feel it in the dark Though I wanted to like the movie, I couldn’t stand that song  Still, never would I tell you how badly I wanted that song to end Instead, I held your hand to survive until it did  I c...

It had already been a long day when I decided to get a haircut. I found my feet walking in the barber shop right next to work. I was tired, hungry, and my hands hurt from my computer keys.  Yet, despite my fatigue, I found a chair and sat down. My whole body felt uneasy, so I instinctively fiddled with my hands.  Social interactions scared me, but I felt comfort in my barber. “Hey! It’s my fa...

6:40 a.m, time to get up and start a new day, Or maybe I could lie here for a few more minutes.  No, I’ve got to get up and make my bed. Ugh, but it is so cold. I’ve got to remember to put cozy shoes  Close to me before I fall asleep. Hopefully, I won’t forget to do that for tomorrow  Morning. 6:48, how did that happen? Shoot, now I’ve really got to get up.  At least ...

“Hale! If you don’t come down for dinner right now, I am giving it to the dog!” yelled my wife. As much as I had wanted to keep editing, our dog, Heath, was already overweight and did not need my meatloaf. I ran down the stairs, ate the meatloaf, told my wife it was the best meatloaf I’d ever had, and then ran right back to my desk. My beautiful wife, Haven, is very understanding most of t...

I hurry to board my plane, afraid that I might miss my flight  I glance down at my phone to check the hour It seems I have a window seat, much to my delight  For now, I can only see bleak buildings and tall towers With a jolt, the plane takes to the air Out the window, I view tiny ships lined in the port  I place my headphones in my ears Hoping for some rest, even if its short On...

You broke my heart you stupid fool  Your Words, they hurt you know “Because of you, She feels— So blue.” How could you go so low?   At night I cry, for why did I Believe you loved me back?  To say I was the only One—  Are you a psychopath?   “My girl, my World, don’t be so cruel  How could you say those things? Admit do I, to all The Lies— but...

Government Distributed Life I woke up to my head pounding. My alarm was going off on my bedside table, and the beeping was getting louder by the second. The throbbing in my head was so intense I could barely open my eyes. The occasional migraine was something I was used to, but this was different. The alarm signified that it was time to get up for work. I reached over to turn it off without opening my...

 “Laila, hurry up! We’re going to be late!” Mrs. Margot Hart yells to her daughter upstairs.  “Coming! The princess has to be rescued before we leave!” six-year-old Laila responds. She is surrounded by all of her toy figurines that she has precisely set up. She holds a dragon in one hand and a knight in the other, while the princess is kept “locked away in a tower,” more commonly...

In 1817, my presence was revealed “It shall be named after ‘Lithos,’” my finder said  With my discovery, his ego was fed And my desire to be found was finally healed   In my normal state, I am as lustrous as a shield  Combined with fire, I glow a burning red When I’m mixed with water, my surroundings become dead  And so I am stored in a way that’s concealed ...

-65 DAYS BEFORE THE ANNUAL GAME-  Growing up in T1 is hard. I should know, since it’s where I’ve spent the last 17 years of my life. In T1, or the long version Tier 1, are the poorest of the poor. You know, the people who’ve either never participated in the Annual Game, or the people who weren’t successful enough to win. They never got the prize money to move up a tier, so they live here, ...

For the town, It was a park. Two slides, benches, plenty of trees, skate park… the usual, But for him, it was his place: A garden of memories of all kinds, Core memories, Love, laughter, new experiences, sadness, stress, anger, peace, With new friends, new relationships, Or alone.  All of this as he looked from up top, Overseeing the galaxy of red, yellow, and white li...

As Tears ran down her doting Face  Another Bruise appeared Her Love— her World— her Happiness  The one she held most dear   The Love for him extended far  She said in bloodied Faith- This Love for him, I feel is true  These Words— showed all my worth   This Tale still lingers in the Air  For Love stands undefined From birth, we’re told that Lov...

Scribbles Staff 2021-2022    LEAD EDITOR Jacob Groover   ARTS EDITOR Ella Reaves   COVER ART Connor Hurt   READERS Anna Wangerin Adam Lease Peter Garud Ranya Ajjan Sam Simons Jonathan Lease Esha Panse Varnika Guduri Carly Blackwood Gita Pavaluri Laura Wilson   SPECIAL THANKS TO THE STRATFORD GAZEBO STAFF AND T...